Blue Nile Mardi Gras Costume Bazaar Returns to Frenchmen St. Sunday

Posted
Monday, February 6th, 2012

by Mary-Devon Dupuy

The Blue Nile Mardi Gras Costume Bazaar goes legal this Sunday, turning 21 and setting up an arrangment that the organizer said would avoid any entanglement with City Hall. Last year, the annual pre-Mardi Gras costume sale fell victim to Mayor Mitch’s Carnival permit crackdown. Without nonprofit sponsorship, the cost of such an event would total nearly $1,100, Bazaar founder Cree McCree told NoDef. But Threadhead Records has joined forces with the Blue Nile to make the bazaar possible.

Though the Bazaar is scheduled to go off without ruffling any boas, permitting has been no walk in the park. McCree said that she and Amy Potter, the president of THR who is currently in Jackson, Wyoming, have had their hands full emailing about legalities and faxing paperwork to get signatures.

“It’s not streamlined at all,” Mcree said of the city's process. “City Hall moves at a snail’s pace. It’s going to be taking up about three hours of my time, and that’s just in City Hall.” With all of the time and energy put into jumping through permit hoops, one has to assume that this year will be special.

All of the co founders, Ann Marie Popco, Oliver Manhattan, and Tracy Thomson were present in 2011, but the bust happened before they could make their champagne toast. So this year they will be back again to toast to 21 years of the Blue Nile Costume Bazaar.

“It’s a full house. The great thing is that everyone has such unique styles,” said Mcree, who referred to her own aesthetic as mostly whimsical, featuring “head pieces, doll bustiers, and a lot of baby faces.”

Thomson’s signature “too-too’s” will also be featured, and Mcree recommends mixing and matching to create the perfect Mardi Gras style. She is grateful for THR’s generosity in making this event possible for Halloween 2011 as well as Mardi Gras 2012.

The bazaar will feature thirteen designers offering handcrafted creations of costumes, masks, hats, headpieces, wigs, and more! If you want to support local recording artists and stock up on decadent Mardi Gras fashions, the event will take place at The Blue Nile (532 Frenchmen St.) on Sunday, February 12 from 12-5pm.

CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, this article erroneously stated that the cost to put on the Costume Bazaar would amount to $11,000. It would actually cost $1,100, according to Cree McCree.